Automatic railway-switch device.



R1 Y. PARTIDA. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY swrToE DBvIoT.

APPLIOATIONPILED 0OT.16, 190.9.

Patented July 5, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

y 'Y 3g e6 30m. 4 J7 ma Noums PETERS ca wAsHlNcruN. n. c.

II. Y. PARTIDA.'

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY sWIToII DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED 0052,16, 1909.

RSHEETS-SHEBT 2.

IY-I

"LU -I 'i w if. )Li

WM 7 A TTURIVEYS 1H: Nagels PETERS ca., wAsH/Nmolv. n. c

RAFAEL YGNACIO PARTIDA, OF TORREON, MEXICO.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SWITCH DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1910.

Application led October 16, 1909. Serial No. 522,969.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAFAEL YcNAoIo PAR- TIDA, a citizen of the Republic of Mexico, and a resident of Torreon, Mexico, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Railway-Switch Device, of which the-following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to devices for controlling a railway switch.

It is particularly useful in connection with electric railroads or tramways in which the rolling stock comprises cars operated from their forward platforms.

The object of the invention is to provide a construction which will enable a switch to be opened or closed from the platform of the car so that the car may pass on or off the switch without requiring the motorman to leave the platform to open or close the switch.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts. in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective showing the forward end of a car, representing the forward portion of the platform cut away so as to illustrate the construction and mode of operation of the switch-controlling devices carried by the car, the car platform being represented as cut away on the line 1 1 of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the car, the road-bed being shown in cross section so as to illustrate more fully the construction and operation of the device, the section being taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 4; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the forward end of the car on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken at the forward end of the car about on the plane of the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the car and 2 represents the track to which my invention is applied. The car may be of any common construction, comprising a truck-frame 3, and having the usual forward platform 4 upon which the motorman stands in operating the car.

In applying my invention, I provide in the track 2, a track-box 5 which is elongated transversely of the trackand fills the space between the rails 6. The track may be formed with a movable switch point 7 at one side, and a fixed switch point 8 at the other side. The switch point 7 is mounted to swing in a horizontal plane on a pivot pin or bolt 9, as shown. The extremity of the switch point 7 when in the position shown in Fig. 4, lies against the guard flange 10 of the right-hand rail, so that the wheels 11 of the car will pass on to the siding. Then the switch point occupies its opposite position, that is, when it lies against kthe main flange or head of the rail, the switch is closed. Near the extremity of the switch point 7, a shifting bar 12 is pivotally attached to the switch point, and this bar is mounted in the track-box 5 and extends transversely of the track, as indicated. Near its end which is remote from the pivot pin 13 which connects it with the switch point, guide lugs 14 are provided which guide the bar so that it may be slid longitudinally, that is, transversely of the track. On the upper face of the shifting bar 12, a pair of pins 15 are provided, and between these pins a dog 16 is received, which dog extends radially from a wheel 17, said wheel 17 being rotatably mounted in t-he upper face of the track-box 5, as shown. The track-box 5 is formed on its upper face with a circular pocket or recess 18, and the wheel 17 rotates on the central pivot 19. As indicated in Fig. 3, the dog 16 is disposed on the under side of the wheel 17. On the upper side of the wheel 17, radially disposed trip arms 20 and 21 are provided which are arranged nearly diametrically opposite to each other. When the switch is in the position shown in Fig. 4, that is, when the switch is open, the arm 20 extends substantially parallel with the shifting bar 12 and projects transversely of the track. The ends of the arms 20 and 21 which are disposedtoward the direction from which the car approaches, are cut away so as to form rounded noses 22, the purpose of which will appear more fully herein' after.

To the forward extremity of the truckframe 3, I attach a trip frame 23, which frame comprises bracket arms 24 which are secured rigidly to the side bars of the truckframe near the forward end thereof. These bracket arms 24 are connected by a trip bar 25 which extends transversely of the track, as shown.

Near the forward face of this Y 2 .Y v Y 963,642

trip bar 25, a pair of triggers 26 and' 27 are disposed, which triggers are simply in the;

form Vof flat bars which hang down on the forward face of the trip bar 25, being sus,E

5 pended from fixed studs or pivots 28. On

the fQrWardside of the trip bar and adjacent the outer edges of the'triggers 26 and 27, horizontal Vcoil springs 29 are prop vided, the outer ends of the said springs be.- lo 'ing supported in brackets 30, secured to the bar 25, as shown. These springs 29 are ar-2 y ranged lso that when the triggers 26 and 27;y yare han-ging a vertical position the ends ofthesprings lie againsty the outer edgesf 15 of the triggers, ias illustrated at the-fright in i When the triggers are hanging i 'vers 33 Iwhich enable the spindles tobe rot-ated, asV will ibe readily understood. They Bol-ower ends of the spindles yare bent so as to V:form fingers 34s and 35. The finger 34 lies y adjacent to the outerfedge 4of the 5trigger 26,

" -whereas, thek linger 35 lies 'adjacent to the y outer edge of the triggerr27. f As illustrated 35` in Figs. 1 and 2, when the spindle l3l is rotate'd bythe motormans foot thefinger 34;

l will force the triggerY 26 yout of alinement with its corresponding trip arm. This renders thisV trigger inoperative, but leaves the 40 trigger ..27 in operative position. Y It kwill A"therefore'be see'nthat in the operation of .the--dev-ice, -both the triggers are normally in an inoperative position, but :the trigger which is `to be operated is thrown "down when desired to an operative position. l The veffect of this mode v'of operation can be seen Y vclearly from an inspection of Figs 2- and 4. Suppose that the car is approaching Vthe 'switch from the left, the switch being open, ,suppose also that the car is to pass along 1 the trigger l27 is shifted to itsoperative positieni; when the'trig-ger27 strikes 'the arm 20 it pushes thegarmf20 forwardly and rotates Y t the wheel' 17 on its pivot'V 19 through' the mediuinpf the 'dog 16, the Wheel will shift the shifting bar 12 toward .the right and movethe vswitch 'pointf toward 'the right;

`this closes theswitch. During'this rotation ofthe'wheel- 17, the trigger -27 is in contact rwith the rounded nose 22 of the arm,fand t vias the rotation continues theV arm advances Pinto tan inclined'positio'nfsuch as that shown by the armV 21. In this way the inclined 6.15.* nose will exert a tendency to Iswing the trig.

vger 27 outwardly on its pivot, compressing its spring 29. In this way the trigger is enabled to pass the trip arm.

Special attention is called to the fact that when the arm 20 is struck by the trigger, 70 this arm is disposed transversely of the track, but as the rotation takes place the 'arm becomes inclined. In thisy way the position of the arm when rst struck by the trigger, does not tend'in any Way to swin 75 the triggenbut as the arm becomes incline vit does tend to swing the trigger 'and release it from the arm. y

The springs 29 have a tendency to prevent the triggers from `commencing to swing 30 vat too early'astage ofthe movement, that 1s, they insure that the switch will be fully open or closed before the 'trigger is released. Of course, if the switch is to be opened instead `of closed, the .arm 21 will 85 be disposed transversely of the track and the trigger 26 will'bepperative, while the trigger 27 will be let't iny its inoperative position.

vHaving thus described myinvention, I claim las new and desire to secure by Letters l?atent,- c

1. In a device of the class described, in

combination, a track having aV movable switch point, a rotatable member mounted in the bed of the track an-d lhaving a substantially radially vdisposed trip 'armwhicli mayextend transversely of the track, means connecting said member' with said switch point for controlling the switch, and a trig- 100 p ger mounted on the car Aand adapted to move transversely ofthe track, said trigger being arranged to strike said tri a-rm and affording means for moving sai Atrip arm into Aan -inclined position,`-said trip arm being 105 adaptedto move thesaid trigger laterally when in said inclined position whereby said trigger may release itself from said arm.

2. In a devieeof the 'class described, in combination, a track having a movable 11o switch point, a rotatable member mounted in t-he bed lof the track and having a substantially radially disposed trip arm, which may' extend transversely of the track, means Y connecting said member with said switch i the 'main track; l in orderto accomplish this,

point for controlli-ng the switch, a trigger mounted on the Acar and adapted to move Vtransversely, of the track, said trigger being arranged to strike said tri arm andalfording means for movin sai trip arm into an inclined position, sai trip Aarm being adapted to move the said trigger laterally when in Asaid inclined position whereby said trigger switch point, awheel rotatably mounted in the track bed-and 'having substantially ra- 130 dially disposed trip arms, means connecting said wheel with said switch point for controlling the same, triggers pivotally supported on the car and adapted to swing laterally, said triggers being adapted to engage said arms res ectively, to rotate said wheel, said armsl aiiaording means for moving said triggers laterally when said arms have been moved into an inclined position by said triggers, and springs coperating with said triggers and tending to resist the lateral movement thereof by said arms.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination, a track having a movable switch point, a wheel rotatably mounted in the bed of the track and having substantially radially disposed arms, said arms presenting rounded noses on their ends at the side from which the car approaches, means connected with said wheel for operating said switch point, a cross bar carried by the car, triggers pivotally attached to said cross bar and adapted to swing transversely of the track, the lower ends of said triggers being adapted to engage respectively, with said rounded noses, and means carried by the car for controlling said triggers, said trip arms being arranged so that one or the other of said trip arms is disposed transversely of the track when said switch point is in its opened or in its closed position.

5. In a device of the class described, in combination, a track having a movable switch point, a wheel rotatably mounted in the bed of the track and having substantially radially disposed arms, said arms having rounded noses at the ends thereof, means for controlling said switch point from said wheel, a transverse bar carried by the car, a pair of triggers pivotally mounted on the forward side thereof, springs mounted on said bar and tending to resist the lateral swinging movement of said triggers transversely of the track, and means for controlling said triggers from the car platform, said triggers being adapted in their vertical position to engage said arms respectively.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RAFAEL YGNACIC) PARTIDA.

Witnesses:

DroNIsIo ALCAL, F. A. PORTER. 

